Folks-

Time flies. Well, actually, time is relative (thank YOU, Einstein), but I argue that it does fly as well. It is already the fifth week of our spring term. In the words of the great Jon Bon Jovi, we’re halfway there! It may sound cliché (but who cares? I love clichés), but it feels like it was only yesterday that our students (and myself included) were grumbling about returning to class and being forced to face the cruel January winds. However, now that I’m walking around in a lighter jacket, and we’re five weeks away from summer break, and I’m loving the trimester.

Of the things that make North Central stand out is the awesome-ness of the trimester. (By the way, I cannot be entirely sure “awesome-ness” is an actual word, but let’s go with it) What is the trimester, you ask? Well, instead of two semesters like many colleges and universities, we have three 10-week terms. Our fall term begins in September, and we go straight through ten weeks of classes. By Thanksgiving, we have already completed our first set of finals. When I was going through the process of transferring schools, when it was explained to me that I would be done with my first set of classes by Thanksgiving, let me tell you, “pleased” does not even begin to describe how I felt. “Ecstatic” is more like it.

After fall term, we have an optional 3 week period that we call our “December Term” (or D-Term), which I’ll get to in a minute.

After the New Year, we start our winter term. Ten weeks and a few finals later, we have a week and a half off for spring break, and then we begin our spring term. Ten more weeks and a few more finals later, and our students are done for the summer by the week of June.

The beauty of the trimester lies in this calendar, because we condense semester course work into ten week courses, meaning that though the course work is as challenging as it would be a traditional semester school, (and possibly even more so, since North Central classes must move at a faster pace) you take less classes at a time. Yet, over the course of the academic year, you will complete the same amount of course work as one would complete at a traditional semester school. Each term you will come back to a totally new set of classes, meaning that unless you are doing an independent study or internship or research of some kind, you will never be working on a project or studying for a test during your breaks.

Now, back to that December Term. I’m a huge fan, because when you meet up with your family over the holiday season, the D-Term will be the reason why you have the best story at the dinner table. During this period, there are a variety of opportunities available to students. For one thing, you can take a course at North Central’s campus, only at an accelerated pace (more so than our already fast 10 week terms). The class goes toward your winter coursework, so it is a great way to get a general education class out of the way.

So class is great, but there are other opportunities to learn beyond the traditional classroom experience. That’s where our Verandah Experiences come in. Students and faculty alike look at a Verandah experience as an opportunity to explore topics in a different way. So, a Verandah course may have students interested in education visit Chicago museums while learning about resources for under-funded schools. Or maybe math…and square dancing. How about exploring Christmas-themed theatre by going to theatres and watching holiday classics like The Nutcracker and A Christmas Carol? Verandah experiences are opportunities to enhance your cultural and educational experience. For more info on Verandah experiences, click here: http://www.northcentralcollege.edu/x19231.xml

For people who want to do some good, we have Service and Mission trips that take place during the D-Term. These service opportunities have taken our students to Louisiana, North Carolina, and even as far as Thailand. We also have the Appalachian Service Project (ASP), where students go and help to repair homes in the Appalachian region. Whether it is Habitat for Humanity or Hurricane Katrina relief, our students have used D-Term as an opportunity to aid others. Here’s the link to our Service and Mission Trips page: http://www.northcentralcollege.edu/x15042.xml

And for people itching for a stamp in their passports, we have International Travel Seminars where, according to our International Programs website, our students have “the chance to engage in independent study of two or three cultures on a single three-week study tour, under faculty guidance.” (Yeah, they said it better than I could have.) Some of the December Term seminars in years past sent our students to Greece, France, Cambodia, along with Turkey and Tunisia, and this year there are plans to go to Germany, Ghana, France, Guatemala, and Morocco. It is a great way for students who might not have the ability to study overseas for a full term to have the opportunity to experience another country. For more info, check out the Office of International Programs page: http://www.northcentralcollege.edu/x10813.xml

And there you have it. The North Central College academic calendar. Admit it, you love it. I know I do.

That’s about it for now. Here’s where you can find a North Central transfer counselor in the coming weeks:

Wednesday, April 23, 2008
College of DuPage 10am-1pm (second floor of the SRC near the library)

Thursday, April 24, 2008
Illinois Valley Community College 10am-1pm

Wednesday, April 30, 2008
College of DuPage 10am-1pm (second floor of the SRC near the library)
Moraine Valley Community College 9:30-12:30pm

Tuesday, May 6, 2008
College of DuPage 10am-1pm (second floor of the SRC near the library)
Elgin Community College 10am-1pm

Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Moraine Valley Community College 4pm-6pm (Transcript Evaluations Only)

Thursday, May 8, 2008
Waubonsee Community College 9:30am-12:30pm (Bodie Hall library)

We are finishing up our traveling and will be taking a well-earned break from the open road, though you’ll still find us on the second floor of Old Main all summer long. Click here to find out how to set up a visit on campus: http://www.northcentralcollege.edu/x4383.xml

And don’t forget about our Transfer Visit Day on Saturday, May 3^rd. It’s gonna be a blast. Here’s the info on how to register: http://www.northcentralcollege.edu/x5089.xml

Happy Spring!
Megan